Here is as good an example as any that for a film to be successful, it must be a collaborative effort. "Powder" is engaging, even involving. But upon examination of its parts, one realizes there was no new ground covered, no new insights, nothing that hadn't been done before. No really outstanding performances, except to say that Mary Steenburgen, Lance Henricksen and the under-appreciated (but always busy) Jeff Goldblum are probably incapable of turning in bad performances. And to be fair, Sean Patrick Flanary has the good sense to play what could have been a disastrous part with just the right amounts of simplicity and innocence. To paraphrase Spencer Tracy, he says his lines and doesn't trip over the furniture. This is a role where less is definitely more. He is to be congratulated. The screenplay, which tends to sag in the middle, is well enough written, but nothing more. Sets and costumes are what they need to be. The direction is sufficient. But put the elements all together, and you have a film that is thoroughly watchable and tends to stay with you well after the closing credits. However, I must make two exceptions to the above. Jerzy Zielinski's cinematography is excellent, and veteran composer Jerry Goldsmith contributes a superb score. This film might have suffered greatly without the talents of these two men. Finally, it must be noted that the controversy surrounding the director need not influence your decision to give this film a chance. It will be a well spent 111 minutes.
